Pentium D 950 3.4ghz or AMD X2 4200+

I checked the updated CPU charts and it looks like the pentium D is beating the 4200+ by a bit in most of the charts.

The prices are both roughly the same, it's just a performance issue. Which processor should I get? I usually leave my PC on for hours on end, if I got the pentium D and OC'ed it would I have to worry about overheating?

I'm assuming the pentium D would run hotter than the AMD X2?

the charts are good gudelines but in real life systems vary.
it all depends on what your needs are.
if your gaming Amd has been a great performer.
if your into video intel keeps pace.
the intel clocks like crazy .but you need to take care of that heat.
I never tried to oc the 4400 but had a little luck with the 3800 X2.
as you can see I just like the intel.

When it comes to encoding video and what not, the AMD dual core cpu's win that battle over a 9XX series. I guess if you OC both CPU's to the max, the OC head room of the 9XX series might put it ahead, not sure by how big of a margin though. I have owned two dual core AMD cpu's.... opteron 165 and an X2 3800.... the 3800 went from 2.0 to 2.65 stable and the Opteron scales to about 2.7 stable. I could only compare these CPU's to an 8XX series clocked at 3.7GHZ and these two smoked. My 3800 got the same encode time at stock as the 8XX did @ 3.7GHZ.... but the 9XX series are better than the 8XX series.... so I can definately say, don't touch the 8XX's with a 10 foot pole.

are there actually boards out right now that are compatable with Conroe? I have heard conflicting stories on this, which is why I ask.... if so.... could you post some links.... I was told the 975X BX was, but don't see Conroe on the list.... just curious.... and also, we might be best served to wait for boards that are better designed for Conroe's difference in volatage.... but that is just past experience speaking with unstable boards..... so might not be the case this time.

As I asked already.... doesn't conroe require a new VRM.... meaning it will not work on current mobos? are there certain revision it will work on? With the 950 getting a little bit higher % overclock it would probably edge out the X2 4200 overclocked.... not by a a large margin though, jsut keep in mind, you should be looking at the percentage OC not total Ghz, because if they were to OC the same %, you could assume the performance will be roughly the same as far as which one wins certain benchies and by how much. The 950 is already starting with a 1.4 Ghz advantage over the 4200, so the 950 overclocking a Ghz, and the 4200 overclocking 4-600Mhz would keep them pretty close. But the higher % OC of the 950 would probably make it win most if not all the benchies, but not by a huge margin. Also, keep in mind, the 950 already has a TDP of 130w..... you can increase that quite a bit with a hefty OC..... and need to have an effective cooling solution. But the 950 would probably win most if not all benchmarks between the two chips if both were OC'ed to max stable.

thanks for your reply..... I was wondering that..... could not find the info....

Stop saying that wskurtz, the C1 steppin gof 9xx has 95 TDP

No doubt Kinda gay they still shipping out the B1. And I bought one from newegg, though its the C1 stepping but when I plug it in, its the B1 stepping and now I am mad

With the 4200+ you will need to adjust the Vcore more often while with the 950 you might be able to just go all the way up to the coolers limit without touching the Vcore at all so in the end there shouldnt be much of a difference I guess (never compared both CPUs OCed so Im just guessing).
However, the 950 still clearly wins because the platform it uses is Conroe-ready.

Well, yes its true that some chips (those closest to the Opterons (on the wafer)) do overclock better with less Vcore but there arent many of them.

well check this page and find your sSpec No. to make sure u really got B1 stepping PD

You are full of crap. the 950 runs very cool. 65nm process and newer stepping made this chip quite cool. I checked it out at bestbuy and costco. the compters has been on all day and its very cool. They ran game simulation on them and absolutely no heat. Go to newegg and read the reviews. Enough of this crap about intel is a heater! Yes, the 90nm is a heater, not the 65nm.

Cool.

thats not a problem. thats why theres water cooling. my 805 stays under 45*C while dual priming, with my gigabyte water cooling system its also running at 3.4 stock voltage.

The two chips are indeed very close in the benchmarks. The AMD chip will run cooler and quieter for the following reasons:

1. It can reduce its frequency from 2.2 to 2.0, 1.8 and 1.0 GHz at varying states of load. The Pentium D 950 can only do 3.4 to 3.2, 3.0, and 2.8 with no very low multiplier like the 4200+ does.

2. The PD 950 has a 75% load TDP of 95W. The X2 4200+ has a 100% load TDP of 89W.

3. Intel stock fans are louder than AMD units are- that's my observations. One thing I am certain of and can prove is that Intel HSFs run much faster- 3000-4000 rpm while my X2's fan is 1800rpm. RPM == noise.

Also, AMD boards are much less expensive than the 975 "Bad Axe" Intel board. That thing is $300 or more, while my ABIT board was $110. DDR2-800 for Conroe is about $125-150/GB while DDR400 is $70/GB or so. The PD 950 "Conroe-ready" rig would be several hundred more expensive than the X2 4200+ setup.

What I would recommend that you decide on is when you plan to upgrade again. If you're like me, you upgrade in a few years and get a CPU that is several generations newer. That means a new board and RAM will be in order, so I buy the CPU, board, and RAM for today because I'll need to replace it all anyway when I do upgrade. In that case, DDR2-667 on a 945/955 LGA775 board with that PD 950 would be much more comparable in price to a 939 4200+ setup. So my suggestion to you is to either wait for Intel to ship the Core 2 (which is probably what you really want, by your posts) or you buy a rig with today's parts for today and ignore any future compatibility issues.

49'ers, are there any mobo's that support Conroe now? I know many people have speculated.... but are there any that do for sure? And if there are, is it a hit or miss type thing, as in I can order the board.... but might not get the correct revision?

Edit.... the reason I ask about the mobo's, is because I am selling my system to my friend, and don't really feel like using a single core system , but I am not willing to buy anything that will not support next gen.... I have a spare Venice 3000, and 939 board.... just would rather sell it also.... rather than transplant it into my current main case..... althought.... it is 2.8Ghz stable...
that is why I am basically asking if I can get a mobo that will support Conroe and just buy a cheap 920 to wait Conroe out with.... and hopefully hit 4.5 on air.... if that is even possible with a good 120 mm cooler.